Springbank 15 review #62 with The Whiskey Novice
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- Опубліковано 27 жов 2020
- It's the end of the series. I've looked at some awkward aged whiskies and loved most, if not all. This time...Springbank.
Now...most of you will know that I like my Springbank. But do I like all of them?
Let's find out!
Enjoy.
Springbank: springbank.scot/whisky/
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Cheers. - Розваги
$250 if I’m lucky in the States. It’s nowhere near that good. But I actually prefer the 10 and occasionally I can get the 10 for $119. Nice review, sir.
I haven’t gotten much if anything out of covering my single malt scotch in the US. I have though with covering my bourbon in the glass.
That was a thourough examination of that whisky. I am duly impressed. I've only been through one bottle of the 15yo and was not happy. I do have another one so maybe this time I'll give it more time and see how it goes. Thanks so much.
It seems to be the one Springbank that, doesn't hit the mark as regularly Jimmy. That being said...still a great whisky compared to so many more on the market. Just not necessarilly a great whisky by Springbank's standards.
Cheers sir.
Great job Jim 😁🥃
Cheers Fredrik.
For whatever reason, I only ever owned 1 bottle of this. for roughly the same money I just find myself reaching for the 12 cs, which is to me still the quintessential SB. but like you say: still a very good whisky this. cheers Jim, untill we meet again ;-)
Cheers Menno. I think I do like to compare SB with SB rather than with other Scotches. This stands out well against lots of other Scotches but pales a little in the SB rankings. It wouldn't be the one I would rush out to replace immediately but.....
I'm guessing your grandfather was considered lazy. Everyone said he took a lot of time with his work...that was an attempt at a joke 🤣 good work Jim
🤦♂️😫🤣🤣🤣
Cheers mate.
Great intro and effects again Jim - mighty job! I think I've only had a dram or two of this at a wedding and I don't recall much about it, though I do love pretty much everything about Springbank, so chances are I'd dig it for sure. Cheers buddy.
Cheers Al. It's a great dram for sure but there are better Springbanks in the entry range in my opinion.
If only we could clone this dram! Another great review. Deffo one to let stand, definitely improves. As other comments think we prefer the 12yo. Cheers Jim 🥃
Cheers Hellen. Yeah I think most are in agreement there.
Thank you.
unctuous - fatty, oily; smooth and greasy in texture or appearance. Great word, Jim! You're some boy ... aye! :)
All nicknames I carried in school 😄😄. Cheers Richard.
Great review and beautiful video👍🏻😄
Cheers 😁
Great review as always Jim and thanks for the very tasty sample, I’ve been sipping along while watching this back :) I actually got most of the flavours and smells you described too ... I used to have a tropical scented silicone spray which was practically identical to the nose on this at a certain point. I did have it in the glass a long time which sure helped. Cheers 🥃
Cheers Tony. Glad you enjoyed it mate.
Great end of this series, Jim....I like that one even if it is the more austere side of Springbank...(besides me I will compare it with the Yoichi 15 yo, but as it isn't in the first market at fair price, I shut up, lol !). Great fun ideas & editing as always ! I'm curious of next series, now ! Cheers & keep up the good work ! 👍
Thank you so much Greg. I always appreciate your support my friend.
I do love SB, but the prices in the US have gotten too high and I find myself hesitant to spend the money. I've been leaning toward Glen Scotia as a nice alternative for a much better price. Great review with lots of excellent insights and notes. Thanks for the steady stream of excellent content and amusing intros.
Cheers Bud. Yeah I can imagine that, with such low yield, SB prices outside of the UK are probably very high. Glen Scotia are starting to build that volume a bit and seem.to be spreading out. And they do really make a great whisky. All great representatives of what is a very small area in Scotch whisky production.
Thank you my friend.
Great review again Jim great intro to i was wondering what was going to happen lol Springbank is on my list. Looking forward to Monday night. Cheers
Cheers Leejay. See you Monday.
Great review and effects Jim. I find all Springbanks benefit with a little time in the glass. One thing I love to do is pour a glass, leave it for twenty minutes, pour a fresh one and compare. Great Whisky to end this series. Cheers Jim.
Cheers Paul. Like the sound of that. Might give that one a go.
Don’t they all improve with some time exposed to air? Springbank more than others though. But I do it with all whiskies…45 minutes before I’ll take a sip, unless the bottle has already been drammed down for a couple months.
Surprising intro again!
Thanks Jim for the great review.
No need to say you can't go wrong with this great whisky.
Only downside might be it's availability...
Cheers Frank. Yeah availability can be an issue everywhere.
I've mentioned before how I can practically see Campbeltown but to buy one of their malts is nearly impossible 😄
@@WhiskeyNovice lucky you for being practically able to see Campbeltown... For the time being I have to stick to photographs and memories from earlier visits.
@@peathead4450 well I'd need to drive a bit and get the binoculars out but you get the point 😄
@@WhiskeyNovice ah... So it isn't that much different: I only have to drive a bit, take a bit of a ferry, drive another bit and there I am.... and then I don't need any binoculars.
Needless to say that all those bits are rather huge ones :-(
@@peathead4450 😄😄😄
Enjoyed the series. Looking forward to the next round. 👍 dare I say banking on it.
😄 I see what you did there.
Cheers Dezzz
Enjoyed this Jim. Springbank 15 has been my ‘go to benchmark’ malt for a wee while now. But It’s good SB are starting to make differences/variation an explicit part of their communications. You can consider this honest communications, or clever marketing, but at the least it’s good to know we have deferences in batches of core range whisky !
Very true Tim. Cheers.
This is cracking whisky. My bottle is open since january and I don't get the sharpness at all. Springbank can be pretty batchy though, my bottle is from 2017, so maybe we didn't drink the same stuff (was draming along).
Cheers man. Yeah there really is a huge swing in batch variation with Springbank but...that's just another one of the things I love about them.
Haven't tried any Springbank yet still a bit early in my journey so leaving it for a bit. All to look forward too. Great review Jim 👍👍🥃🥃
Cheers Neil. You won't be disappointed mate. The 10 is still a big favourite of mine.
Thanks for this great review Jim. The price here is another barrier for me to try this one as it is $150. Really love the only Springbank I have tried (10 yr) and would be more inclined to try the 12 yr next based on your opinion, since I believe our tastes are similar.
Cheers Drew. The 12, for me, really depends on batch. Get a real good one and it's incredible. Otherwise you get a great whisky, if not incredible. I think I've built up this thing in my head where I expect all Springbank whisky to be amazing. An average Springbank, to me, is still generally better than a lot of other distilleries' offerings so, what happens is...when I have a Springbank that doesn't completely blow my socks off...I feel a little disappointed.
Totally the wrong attitude I know.
Drink it...and enjoy the quality. (Is what I need to tell myself 😁)
Thanks for doing the "Awkward Age" series Jim. I noticed some Kilkerran 8 Bourbon matured in a shop a couple of days ago; I may have to go back. I have the Sherry 8, but now, my interest is piqued for the Bourbon 8. Looking forward to you next ideas.
Haven't had the sherry 8 but love the bourbon 8! Highly recommend it Peter.
Just recently got a new bottle of this exelennt whisky. Now that the 12CS is more bourbon casks and less sherry casks this one is my favorite. Recently finished a 2018 12 from the more sherry era and was sad to see the finish of the bottle so glad to have one of these. Cheers Jim
Cheers Tim. Yeah, I personally think they've got the balance wrong with the 12 currenty but...here's hoping they keep changing the game 😁
@@WhiskeyNovice Forgot to mention that agree with this one being tight. With bottles like this or anything old have gotten into the habit of splitting it into two bottles when opening with a wee neck pour dram of course too. Then after 1-2 weeks evaluating weather its time to pour back into one bottle.
@@DonnerPassWhisky nice idea Tim. I like that.
I’m getting my first Springbank, just trying to decide between the 10, 15 or 18 & also have Kilkerran 8 or 12 on my list as well. Great review
Cheers buddy. That's a great line up. I think, if it were me, I'd start with either the Springbank 10 or Kilkerran 12 and work from there.
Jim that's all the same flavours I get apart from the wintergreen from the 15yo ...... Springbank 10 is like Liquified Bacon fries with Honey 🎯
😄😄 great description of the 10. I can properly get that.
Cheers.
Loved the beginning to the video, a great ending to a very good series. Maybe i'm being a little finicky here but i'm not too keen on the new label design I prefer the older version., but at the end of the day Its what's in the bottle that counts and its very good. Enjoyed the review jim 👍. Think you'll have to change your name Jim cos' your not a novice anymore 😀Cheers Jim.
Cheers David. Yeah I'd agree their labels are a little garish but, as you said, it's what's on the inside.
I did think about changing my name and maybe, through time. But for now, I still feel every bit the novice, so I'll stick 😉
I know you love Kilkerran and have you had the 8 year cask strength oloroso version ?I just got 3 of them a few days ago but have not opened it yet. What year is that Springbank 15 you reviewed ? I have the 2015, 2019 and 2020 and they are all pretty different because it is Springbank and it's always different with batches. The new Kilkerran 10 year oloroso comes out this friday and I think the 16 year is also.
Cheers. I have had the Kilkerran 8 Olorosso and loved it. Wasn't able to get my hands on a bottle but have had samples. Not sure what year this SB 15 is. I never actually checked.
Yeah you always get something slightly different with SB from batch to batch I've found. But always good in its own way.
I look forward to the new KK releases
I really like Springbank but it cost so much in the states ($160 for that bottle in MI).
I’m curious about the Dark brown color too.
I’m sure Springbank uses some really fresh casks.
A comment from David Allen “of Springbank” didn’t directly say they use a lot of American oak sherry casks but this is what I read...
“Springbank 15 year old is matured in ‘ex oloroso sherry casks …which come from Miguel Martin in Jerez, Spain’. Despite the casks being from Spain, Allan clarifies that ‘a lot of wood used for sherry casks is actually American oak’.”
Ahhh the Rabbit Hole 🐇 🕳
Resource: www.google.com/amp/s/maltmileage.com/2016/07/21/springbank-15-year-old/amp/
This is a 4 year old post... so times do change I guess.
Cheers Jim!
Cheers Dave. It is Dave isn't it?
Yeah I didn't mention maturation in this review simply because details of it can be a bit....sketchy, shall we say?
I also found reference to this being Sherry cask matured, but if it is, there aren't really any typical sherry notes, to my mind. It is a VERY strange shade of "brown" and it makes me wonder, are we looking at American oak which has then been seasoned? I might email Springbank and ask. They can only say no...we won't divulge.
And yeah, you're right buddy. I didn't really take price and availability into account. I've since had a bit of a look round, and it's neither cheap nor very available outside the UK. It's not exactly that easy to get here either if I'm honest.
As I said to someone else here...it's not one I'd rush to replace but, it's one I'm glad to have.
Thanks man.
Yes, it’s Dave (or David).
I understand the prices though... Springbank’s bottles are sometimes treated like diamonds and we pay for the “rarity” I guess.
I really wish distilleries put more info regarding the casks used.
If I ran a distillery, I would want each bottle to have a code and on a site you could track where each cask was located, in what vessels and for how long . First fill, second, etc.
I’m sure it could be a lot to put out there (but distilleries must track this internally anyway...). Plus the transparency would be respectable and most of all important for us to know what we’re tasting and why.
I’m done with my rant... 😂
@@AmericanScotchDoctor totally agree. Cheers David.
That surprised me I honestly thought you would prefer the 15 - out of the 10 and 12 which do you prefer and why? I have the Springbank 15 but haven't opened as yet but would like to get the 10 or 12 to try side by side with the 15 so your opinion would be really appreciated. Thanks
Cheers Al. I personally would still go for the 10 because of price and consistancy. I've had great, good and average 12s depending on batch, so it's almost something you've got to be sure of before buying.
The 15 is a great dram for sure but, it's pricey, hard to get and takes a long, LONG time to open up.
@@WhiskeyNovice thanks for the advice I'll be after a bottle of 10 year soon! Lovin your content btw 👍
@@AlReyn cheers buddy.
Great review! Whats the bottling date on the SB 15yr?
Cheers. It's a 2020 bottling.
@@WhiskeyNovice i just picked up a bottle dated 01.09.2020 and just wanted to see if we are drinking the same thing.
@@indieingot34 that's the one 👍